Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE:RSG) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $250.4545.

Several research firms have issued reports on RSG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $233.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $248.00 price objective on Republic Services and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. National Bankshares cut their price objective on Republic Services from $270.00 to $241.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Republic Services from $260.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Republic Services in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock.

Republic Services Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of Republic Services stock opened at $217.12 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $218.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $67.21 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.57. Republic Services has a 12-month low of $199.43 and a 12-month high of $258.75.

Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The business services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.12. Republic Services had a return on equity of 18.27% and a net margin of 12.97%.The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.81 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Republic Services will post 6.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Republic Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be given a $0.625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Republic Services’s payout ratio is currently 37.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Republic Services by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 69,799 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,017,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Republic Services in the third quarter valued at about $7,079,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. lifted its position in Republic Services by 1.0% during the third quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 130,061 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,846,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Republic Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 26,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,059,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Republic Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,255,000. Institutional investors own 57.73% of the company’s stock.

About Republic Services

Republic Services, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers environmental services in the United States and Canada. It is involved in the collection and processing of recyclable, solid waste, and industrial waste materials; transportation and disposal of non-hazardous and hazardous waste streams; and other environmental solutions.